Anxiety and Negative Emotions in Second Language Acquisition Research Paper

Anxiety and Negative Emotions in Second Language Acquisition - Research Paper Example This eventually ascertains that the acquisition of a second language is invariably dependent on multifaceted dimensions inclusive of neurological to psychological, cognitive to affective factors as a whole (Brown, 1994). During the sixties, Bloom et al (1964) categorized the dimensions of learning into two significant domains - cognitive and effective, suggesting the two most significant and essential components of learning. These are the two primary components that ascertain that there are essentially positive and negative feelings associated with second language acquisition. The positive feelings associated with language acquisition primarily include joy, enthusiasm, satisfaction and warmth (Ehrman, 1996), whereas negative feelings include anxiety, fear and lack of confidence and among which anxiety is perceived as the most incapacitating factor (Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope, 1986; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1989; Ehrman, 1996). Researchers like MacIntyre & Gardner (1991) suggest that languag e acquisition anxiety has some specific characteristics and hence can be set apart from other types of anxieties encountered in daily lives. In the demographical analysis of second language acquisition anxiety for ESL students in the US demonstrates that the Mexican students may experience inadequate explicit knowledge as well as social persuasion that may attribute in following a successful model and support from others (Cummins, 1996; Zambrana & Silva-Palacios, 1989). Also, they may perceive anxiety due to the language shock during language learning phase (Olsen, 1997). Among Hispanic Americans, the school drop-out rate is as high as 36%, while the rest 63% is somehow could be able to complete high school either through attainment of Diploma or GED (Kaufman, Kwon, & Klein, 1999), primarily resulted from lack of successful academic models and other vivid understanding. In the US due to the marginalization of Hispanic American Groups, the internalization of negative stereotyping amo ng Mexican ESL students may lead to decline their self-efficacy in the sense of self-confidence in limiting the social persuasion.